Wilting Rose
by Szept
Summary: An unruly mind is a nuisance that Ruby has to deal with way too often as of late. Especially late at night, when there is nothing to focus her wandering thoughts on.
1. Restless

_"Maybe we will see you around."_

Ruby tosses and turns in her bunk, making it swing lightly, to subconscious dismay of her partner below. Who despite being soundly asleep, tenses up at the dreaded sound of strained ropes.

_A barely-there smirk graces Her lips._

She's not entirely awake but most certainly not even halfway asleep either. It's… tiring, this restlessness that overtakes her at night when there is nothing to distract the girl from idle thoughts. If they can be called such.

_She catches the other student watching her, none too subtly from across the hall._

She tries her best in forcing herself into sleep but it proves to be difficult. Stubbornly trying to think about nothing or counting sheep works only to a point, after which she becomes too sleepy to continue, that's when thoughts of Her swarm Ruby's mind anew.

_She smiles back at the strange woman as they pass the other in a hallway._

It's not like her mind doesn't do the same throughout the day when it's given time to wander.

_'She must be an upperclassmen.'_

It's annoying. Not the thoughts themselves but the way they pester her.

_Ruby's body flares up when she feels her leg being rubbed by another under the table. All the while She simply keeps talking as if nothing has happened, a subtle smile ever present on Her face._

The girl's eyes shoot open at that particular memory, suddenly fully awake. She takes in a shaky breath after realizing she forgot to breathe, then takes her mask off, revealing a pair of tired, silver eyes. She pulls her scroll out from under the pillow to check the hour. Squinting as the light blinds her momentarily.

2:14

Way, way too early to get up. Way too late to catch proper sleep too. Oh, she will be dead on her feet in classes again, and she has lessons with Glynda today and she won't be able to focus and the woman will give her detention for slacking off and Weiss will be mad and she will be given some sort of punishment and she will have to spend the rest of today on it.

And she won't be able to see Her because of it.

She lets out a dismayed groan and shoves the scroll back underneath the cushion. Maybe she could sneak into Yang's bunk? That always helps when she has trouble sleeping. Her sister sleeps like the dead, rather animated dead but still. Problem is she will wake up first, since Ruby herself is dead tired. Then she will ask what's the matter and won't stop until getting an honest answer out of her sister.

Blake…

Nope.

She can technically invade Schnee heiress' bed, she had done it before and still lives to tell the tale but Ruby doubts it would be of much help. Her older sister automatically grabs anything in her reach while sleeping, which makes for hilarious photos and great cuddles. Weiss… not so much, or at all really. She attempted giving the white haired girl a stuffed beowolf in her sleep once. She prepared for many things but not the absolute lack of reaction.

Ruby turns over, stuffing her face into pillow and tries counting to a hundred again. Hoping to simply pass out in process.

_"__What do you say we meet after lessons, hm?"_


	2. Question

Ruby throws the bag over her shoulder and starts heading towards the door when she sees Her again. Sitting by herself in the quiet corner of the library, her slender fingers lazily tapping on a scroll. The girl realizes then that this is the first time she sees the older student without her usual smirk in place. In fact, she looks rather bored. Maybe even vaguely annoyed.

Ruby halts and absentmindedly rubs her arm, debating if she should follow the idea that has been plaguing her for the last few days, ever since she first saw Her to be exact. She bites her lip, mulling over the situation.

'Oh come on, she's just a student. What's the worst that could happen?'

With that in mind, the girl steels herself and approaches the object of her distress.

It's strange, they haven't even really talked and despite that, Ruby often catches herself thinking about Her. She's noticed how sometimes the transfer student will simply set eyes on her and just look, unabashed even when spotted. She doesn't know what to make of it, she wants to ask but somehow the chance hasn't presented itself in the last couple of days. Well okay, maybe it has but Ruby never quite managed to work up the courage to walk up to the intimidatingly beautiful woman with her friends around.

Now though, they're alone.

The amber eyed beauty looks up to see a rather nervous looking girl with a red cloak on her back, hesitantly making way towards the table she's seated at. A satisfied smirk graces her lips and she switches the scroll in front of her off.

Ruby comes to a stop beside the older student, well, almost. There still is a corner of the table in between them as the girl feels insecure about the whole thing. She tugs at the hem of her sleeve, mind suddenly blank. Quite painfully aware of how she's making a terrible impression of herself. She is thankfully given an out when the senior speaks up.

"Hello again. Would you mind sitting down? I feel rude, talking to you like that."

"Um, eh, sure," she does just that, laying her bag beside feet and still keeping the desk as a barrier. Desperately looking for a way to ask her question.

"I uh, wanted to ask..." she trails off, not sure how to phrase her tangled thoughts.

'Wow, good job Ruby, you really are a dunce aren't you?'

"Wanted to? Am I that unpleasant to talk to?" She quarries mock-hurt. Her smile gaining more devious edge to it.

"What? No! Nonono! It's just a- I wanted- want to, I mean. I-it's just-" Ruby's tongue trips over itself as words keep getting stuck in her throat, her cheeks flaming bright red in embarrassment at her stutter. Her eyes dart around nervously "I- I'm sorry I-"

She cuts off as a warm, soft hand land on top of her own that she's just now noticed, she's been wringing on the table's surface. Silver eyes snap to the amber ones, twinkling with amusement at the spectacle in front of their owner.

"Relax, I don't bite," There is hint of something in her voice that Ruby can't quite recognize." just breathe for a moment alright?" Ruby nods energetically and waits for a couple of seconds, as told. The woman withdraws her hand after giving a gentle squeeze and the younger girl's own suddenly feel very cold. She looks at these warm hands and how perfect the nails look. Again her attention reverts back to Her when Ruby realizes what is she doing.

"Better?" The Haven student asks, propping herself on elbows and leaning towards Ruby, resting her head on her left hand. Yet again studying the girl's face with all the intense curiosity she has been displaying for the last couple of days.

"Yeah, I'm sorry for that, I guess I'm not good with strangers, I mean you should have seen me when I just arrived at Beacon. Just wow, that was terrible." The woman tilts her head so that it barely rests on her slender fingers. Looking as if listening to the most interesting thing in the whole world. But Ruby feels like she's just digging a deeper hole. "But I- guess you don't really want to hear about that, I'm sorry I'm rumbling."

"It's adorable, I like it." Ruby catches herself watching her lips and blushes both at the words and her wandering stare. "Say, would you mind showing me around? I get lost all the time and you were very helpful the last time."

"I was? Oh! Thank you, and sure I will, just ah- can we take this," she points at her bag" back to my room first? It's kinda heavy today."

"Of course, let me help you with that at least." With that, She gracefully stands up and picks Ruby's bag up before she has time to do that herself.

"You don't need to, I can carry it no problem." She tries to take a hold of it but gives up when the transfer student puts the strap over her shoulder.

"Nonsense, you're the one helping me here. Now come, do you have a curfew here?"

"Not really, or more like, who cares kind of curfew. Nobody makes rounds you know." She says as she leads the way out of library, the woman at her side, close enough to brush their hands together every now and then.


	3. Old History

"I should go back, I've got an assignment from professor Oobleck due for tomorrow. Probably shouldn't have put it off for so long..." Ruby murmurs dejectedly and moves to gather her bag from the feet of the bench she and Cinder have been sitting on. The sun will soon set and she hasn't paid any mind to the passage of time while talking with her new friend. She didn't plan to spend so much time on it, or none at all really since she only came out here to stretch her legs and eat a snack without Weiss reminding her about the essay for tomorrow. That she was joined by the woman was unexpected though not unpleasant.

She has a way of putting Ruby at ease, to help her out of self imposed shell whenever she doesn't feel like spending time around people. The girl honestly tries to make friends and become a more open, less awkward person but she also needs her solitude at times. Not that she dislikes company, not at all! She loves spending time with her friends but sometimes she feels overwhelmed by- well everything. It's a time for herself when she doesn't need to deal with anything or anyone else.

The intrusion of the older student into these moments was not planned but eventually she found herself enjoying the company as it isn't intrusive, the visiting student seemingly perfectly reading her mood and then acting accordingly, sharing silence when needed or providing an ear for the younger girl to confide in. Ruby is almost positive that her senior seeks her out on purpose as there is no way she just so happens to find her almost every time.

It's... nice to think that she wants to spend time with her. Ruby certainly likes doing so.

"Oh? Shouldn't you have done it earlier then?" She asks teasingly, drawing out a blush of embarrassment on young Rose's cheeks. Because yes she should have and Cinder pointing it out makes her feel strange inside, bothered and self-conscious, it doesn't happen when other people do it. "Actually..." the woman moves her hand from the bench to move an unruly curl behind her ear, idly brushing it against Ruby's thigh in process. "Maybe I could help you? I'm rather good with history, so I should be able to. Even if our schools teach a bit different material. What do you say?" She finishes with a smile that while pleasant, has a devious edge to it.

Ruby bites on her lip and squirms uncomfortably. It's a strange thing to both want to say yes and run away to the certainty of her team. She's not used to this, being treated like this.

"I don't want to be a bother." She answers uncertainly after few moments. Leaving the final decision to the older student.

"You're never a bother." Ruby ducks her head in attempt to hide the flush crawling up her cheeks, it's all so confusing. She's never reacted this way to anyone else and over what? Over a proposal of help with her homework? She has done it with Weiss, Blake and even Ren, why does this feel so different?

"Um, okay then, thanks. Library?" The raven-haired beauty looks thoughtful for a moment before nodding and standing up. She doesn't offer to carry Ruby's bag, as she often does, and the girl is grateful for it. She's embarrassed as it is and her doing that yet again would only add to it. It's probably the reason Cinder decided not to offer, she seems to like pushing her but not overtly so.

"Come along then, let's not waste time." The woman waits for the cloaked girl to gather her things and leads the way, always half a step in front of Ruby and still close enough to occasionally brush hands with her. It's something she does often when they're alone. And while it keeps the girl on edge whenever it happens, she doesn't mind. It's not the uncomfortable sort of closeness she would feel if it was- say Blake walking so close to her. It's almost nice, even if it makes her a tad bit nervous whenever she feels the warm skin brush against her own. "Say, how do you find history?"

Ruby winces at the memory of being caught sleeping in history class.

"It's ah... interesting. Sometimes. When we're not learning stuff like names and dates and places you know?" Meaning it's dreadfully boring most of the time. It's still better than back at Signal, with Oobleck (the man is simply consumed by his subject, managing to spill some of his enthusiasm over to his students, sometimes anyway), less memorizing and more deduction but still. Does she really need that stuff to be a huntress?

"And what do you think of history itself, not the lessons?" Her friend asks with a teasing smile. Oh wait, she was talking about history as in- right, of course. Stupid of her not to catch up. Feeling embarrassed, Ruby turns her eyes away from Cinder in search of anything else to look at.

Windows, good. There are things outside windows to look at. Like trees. Oh so interesting trees.

"I don't know. I think it's kinda depressing. All the wars and Grimm and stuff. I'd like to make the future better, not focus on the past." Ruby is well aware of how corny it sounds. Still, it's how she feels.

"Make your own history?" The girl smiles sheepishly at the amusement apparent in her company's voice. She looks back at Cinder, now that her face has cooled off a bit.

"I guess. I just want to help people, I mean professor Oobleck keeps telling us that those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it but- I'm just a huntress. Not a... queen or anything like that." The woman's usual, teasing smirk vanishes as she says it, giving way to a more pensive expression.

"And do you think that makes you any less powerful? Huntsmen have sway, imagine threatening not to go out into the wilds, or refusing to protect villages. How long do you think it would take for you to get what you wanted?" A shadow of a grimace flashes across her face.

"But- but that's terrible!" The girl cries out, horrified at the mere suggestion.

"The world is terrible Ruby. None better if we don't realize it. If you spend your life giving you will end up giving everything in the end."

They remain silent until they reach the library, where Ruby throws herself into work. Trying to transfer Cinder's flowing narration onto paper, it helps, if only a little bit, in distracting her from the pit that has grown in her stomach.

But there is nothing to distract her from old nightmares when she lies to sleep that night.


	4. Weaponsmith

"And you built it yourself?" The older student asks, her voice tinted with incredulity.

"Well I went over the plans with my uncle but I made them, and Crescent Rose itself too, no help there!" Ruby replies proudly. And having her weapon built by herself is a reason to feel pride too, it's one of the most advanced in the academy after all.

"Impressive, I can build weapons, as any hunter should- but this is actually beyond my capabilities." Ruby's cheeks go up in flames at that little remark, dammit cheeks! They've betrayed her yet again!

The girl glances away from her disassembled weapon to look at her company, and immediately snaps her eyes back to Crescent Rose when she sees the knowing smile on her lips. She feels like opening a window to let in a bit of cool air, but then she'd have to stand up, away from the woman she's currently brushing her shoulder against. She'd probably boil on the inside if she tried getting into the same position when sitting back down.

How have they ended up like this? Ruby's not sure.

They were talking shop about weapons and grimm, about Beacon and Haven, normal things as far as Ruby's concerned. The young huntress is not sure when but at some point Cinder expressed interest in her weapon. And well, the girl's aware of her... intense interest in weapons. But she will oppose anyone saying she's a weapon freak. Calling her that is an insult to the real freaks out there. There is a fine line between a passion and obsession, and whatever Yang says, she hasn't crossed it yet.

One of the ways her interest manifests in, is that whenever the opportunity presents itself, she can't help but go on what her sister calls rants. They're not rants! The fact that people rarely understand much when she talks about weapons is entirely their own fault for not paying attention in physics. As everyone should, it's fun. Figuring out the correct size of a dust shell, the alloy of the bullet, the dust type itself. She could talk about rifling-barrel length relation for hours on end!

It's rare to meet someone actually interested in the topic though. And she might be a bit... much, when she meets such a person.

Cinder doesn't seem to mind this however. Her eyes focused and alive, seemingly taking in every little action of Ruby's. Kind of like Ren with his attentive quiet, but- different. The teen can't pin down the right word for it. One that would convey how the teen's breath catches when given something as small as a smile.

So of course she took the opportunity and started rambling on and off about Crescent Rose, at least she can do it without stuttering as it's a field she actually feels confident in as opposed to this- whatever it is that they're doing. They're friends but... not really. Weiss and Blake are Ruby's friends. Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren and Nora are her friends. She knows what it's like to have a friend. And it's... similar, certainly. But the blood rushing to her face whenever She smiles is not a part of friendship, neither is the fire Cinder's idle touches kindle in her body.

Certainly not the sleepless nights.

"So uh, where are yours?" She asks, wringing her hands nervously. "I haven't seen you carrying any."

"Oh I always have them on me." Huh, like what, knives? "It's just they're not, shall we say... usual." She looks to the table and points at one of the rounds for Ruby's scythe. "May I?" The woman asks pointing at it.

"Uh, sure." Ruby replies. She was curious before but now she's intrigued, confused, but intrigued all the same.

She watches intently as Cinder picks the piece up and holds it up between herself and Ruby. And then, with the smallest of groans, the bullet lightly pops out of the casing, as if pressured from the inside- Ruby's eyes go wide as the realization hits her. Is she dust weaving? That's- that's amazing! Only the best huntsmen can get away with using it. And seeing as the older student is a senior, she must be good. Really good. Better than Weiss for certain, it's entirely possible that she's better than any other student Ruby's met. The kind of dedication required to achieve this sort of mastery, to not only not detonate the round but also make the bullet gently slide out of it?

The girl looks back to Crescent Rose, suddenly feeling a lot less secure in her standing.

"Now now dear, none of that." Says Cinder as she gently takes Ruby's hands between her pleasantly warm own. "I could hardly build or use that scythe of yours either." Ruby can feel the ball of anxiousness uncoiling in her stomach, all the while being replaced with something... else. Warm and strange in a way that seems familiar but the girl can't put her finger on how.

For once, it's a smile that crawls up her face instead of heat as she looks back to Cinder.


	5. Silver Eyes

"You have beautiful eyes." Ruby's head snaps from over her textbook to Cinder, who, she realizes, must have been staring at her from across the table for the last couple of minutes, the minutes Ruby spent diligently not getting distracted by the woman's presence. Weiss would be proud of her.

"Ieugh-" she delivers her flawless answer. Her brain only now catching up with both what the older student said and her own response. She turns her gaze away, towards the books surrounding their library booth, smiling nervously while valiantly (if vainly) fighting the heat assaulting her face. "T-thanks, your eyes are really pretty too." The words spew from her mouth before she thinks and her eyes widen in mortification.

"Oh, so you have been looking." Her voice takes on a teasing note and the smirk that Ruby has come to associate with the woman returns to her lips. The one that never fails to ever so slightly elevate Ruby's heartbeat. "I've been wondering if my mind has been playing tricks on me." It takes a lot but the girl manages to look at her friend again without straying, even though there's nothing more that she'd like to do than to sink into the ground.

"I'm sorry?" Not really she's not. Her eyes have been drawn to Cinder a great lot recently. She's embarrassed by herself, yes, but not truly sorry.

"Oh don't worry," and dust does her voice make her feel uncomfortable and wanting it. It confuses her to no end and normally she'd ask Yang but Yang is... protective, perhaps too much so for this. "I don't mind. In fact- I wouldn't mind it at all if you'd like to see more."

Poor Ruby's heart palpitates and her breath hitches when she feels Cinder's leg brushing against her own beneath the table. She's- she's been thinking- things... about the woman in front of her, yeah. But those mostly involve stuff like holding hands or being held by her, and she will never admit it to anyone but she's even been thinking about how would it be like to kiss her, but this? This is so out of her depth that all she can do is sit, completely frozen in place.

"Are you alright?" The Haven student suddenly asks, her coy smile giving way to a concerned frown. Ruby works her mouth, searching for words but not even a stammer leaves her in the end. Cinder quietly chuckles at the sight and stands up to sit beside Ruby, confidently taking the teen's hands between her own. "I'm sorry, but it's just too fun to tease you."

Ruby swallows. "Tease?" She finally croaks out, not quite able to control her voice.

"Why yes. I enjoy seeing you like this, it's adorable." She lightly tugs at the girl's hands and Ruby leans into her without protest, feeling strangely calmed by the closeness yet at the same time as if the lead in her chest will clog her heart up. "I think I'd like to see more of that too."

Ruby is glad for her constricted throat, were it not for it she's sure the surprised squeak she lets out when the woman kisses her cheek would be something infinitely more embarrassing.

"I-I don't mind either. I wouldn't- I mean, if you want t-to that is, I me-" She only stops her stuttering when the woman grabs her shoulder and turns Ruby fully towards her. And oh dust- there's that teasing smile again, the one that makes the young huntress yearn to know how would Cinder's lips feel like against her own.

"Calm down Little Rose." The woman says with a hint of amusement coloring her words, and Grimm take her heart but does something inside Ruby's guts ignite at the name. "No need to rush, we have time." She pulls her chair closer and lets Ruby rest her head against her shoulder while her fingers start trailing patterns of heat across the girl's hands.

Ruby's grateful, for the calming words, for her firm fingers, for the now-familiar smell of ash on the woman and for how she's indulging her anxiety. They both remain silent for a moment while the younger student's heart calms down from the wild rhythm it's taken.

"Um..." Ruby eventually begins, and it's hard, harder than fighting Grimm and even harder than her first day at Beacon to soldier on, but she tries. "There aren't lessons tomorrow-" only to clam up when her mind comes up blank with the next part of the sentence.

"So I hear." Cinder picks up where Ruby can't follow. "Say, would you mind showing me around Vale? I'm afraid I haven't had the time to explore it just yet." She finishes with a knowing smile.

Ruby beams up at the idea. Relieved, so relieved by Cinder's willingness in spite of her fumbling.

"I'd love to!"


End file.
